On Tuesday, the Cardinals did what was widely expected: cut ties with veteran quarterback Kyler Murray. The move will officially take place next week.
In a move to save money, the Cardinals will be moving away from the franchise quarterback they selected with the first overall pick in 2019.
The move occurred before the March 15 deadline, and if the move had happened after, Murray would have been owed $36.8 million.
In his time with the Cardinals, Murray started all 32 games to begin his career and made the Pro Bowl twice in his first three seasons. However, he has only been to the playoffs once (2021), where the team was bounced on the road by the Los Angeles Rams 34–11.
Murray signed a five-year, $230 million contract extension in 2022, but the contract quickly turned into a financial burden when the now 28-year-old’s production didn’t translate to winning results.
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Going forward, it is anyone’s guess what the Cardinals will do to fill the quarterback position. Some of the top guys on the market consist of Malik Willis and Aaron Rodgers. Daniel Jones got the transition tag from the Indianapolis Colts, so it is less likely he departs in free agency.
There have been experts flirting with the idea of Arizona trading back into the first round to select Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, but it is way too early to officially write them down as reports.
Though Simpson’s interview with the Cardinals’ management supposedly went well.
The news of the day is that Murray’s era in the desert is officially in the past, and it will be interesting to see how general manager Monti Ossenfort and company locate his replacement.